Numbers 21:17 (ASV)

Passage

Then sang Israel this song: Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:

Nearby Context

Numbers 21:15 And the slope of the valleys That inclineth toward the dwelling of Ar, And leaneth upon the border of Moab.

Numbers 21:16 And from thence [they journeyed] to Beer: that is the well whereof Jehovah said unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.

Numbers 21:17 Then sang Israel this song: Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:

Numbers 21:18 The well, which the princes digged, Which the nobles of the people delved, With the sceptre, [and] with their staves. And from the wilderness [they journeyed] to Mattanah;

Numbers 21:19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sang", "israel", "song", "spring", "well", and "sing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sang" and "israel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And from thence they journeyed to Beer..." into verse 18's "The well which the princes digged Which...", so "sang" and "israel" belong inside that flow. In Numbers context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "sang" and "israel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.